Advice on T61/P purcahse....

[Bwadd]

New member here... Currently running a T42 w/ Pentium M 1.7 and 1G HD. Basically a base T42.

I have been thinking about upgrading to the newer T61 or T61P. I currently use my T42 for work, 20% mobile, 80% docking station. I have done everthing on the T42, light gaming, alot of surfing and work related stuff, MS Word, Adobe etc...

Any suggestions out there on a good T61 or T61P. I prefer the smaller 14.1 screen as I use a 21.5 samsung LCD. Would like to have a DVD/R drive. I see alot of base T61 systems all the same with:

Core 2 Duo T7100
1gig Ram DDr2
80G HD
Finger print reader
Vista business

My main questions are...

1) Are these decent and is the wireless card installed ok or should I be looking for one with an upgraded card

2)Whats the main diff between T61 and T61P

3)Should I upgrade the RAM and HD myself keeping in mind I am not too good with taking laptops apart. I had to get someone to install my IBM wireless card in my T42

3)Does the 9 cell batt really make a huge diff, currently I ahve a 6 cell and it lasts just under 3 hours.

4) Is turbo memory necessary.. and what does it so?

Any other suggestions would be great....

Thanks

Clint

[ajkula66]

The main difference between T61 and T61p is the graphic card. Unless you're going to be running some very intensive video applications and games, you'll be fine with a base T61.

If you go for a machine with Intel integrated graphics, there'll be no need for extended battery.

Wireless cards installed are basic but sufficient in most cases.

Upgrading the RAM will require taking the palmrest off. If you're not comfortable with doing that yourself, get the machine with upgraded RAM to begin with. Swapping a HDD is a 5-minute operation at the most.

Turbo memory is probably more trouble than it's worth, especially if you max out the main RAM and put in a faster HDD.

I would stay away from Vista in any shape or form unless it's an absolute must for your business purposes.

My $0.02 only...

[basketb]

I second the opinion to stay away from Vista and turbo memory.

Another difference between the T61 and T61p is that if you needed a WUXGA screen, then T61p would be the only option (but since you want a 14" screen, that doesn't apply to you).

On battery life:
"20% mobile/80% docked" can mean two things:

1. 1. in a ten-hour work day, you spent 2 hours on battery, then the 6 cell is certainly sufficient
   2. in a five-day work week, you need to spent one whole day without constant access to a power outlet, then the 9 cell battery helps (though it probably won't last 8 hours by itself).

In general, I'd say if you regularly (once a week or more) need to work on battery for more than 3 hours, get the 9 cell; otherwise, get the 6 cell.

Here are the instructions for replacing HD (http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67743) and RAM (http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67764). See for yourself whether you would be comfortable doing this (one thing the instructions for HD replacement don't show is that you will also need to move the HD caddy from the original HD to the new one, if you don't get the HD from Lenovo or buy a caddy separately - but this is no biggy either). I think there are also video clips around showing what needs to be done. But I can't find the link to those right now.

BTW: if your T42 already has an ultrabay DVD-RW drive, you can also use it in a T61.

[Nolonemo]

If you run Vista, you will want at least 2GB of RAM.

If you have the Nvidia graphics option, your battery runtime will drop 20% to 25%. Some people claim you can increase battery runtime with the Nvidia by underclocking the card. The card is only really needed for stuff like 3D graphics, as I understand it.

[Bwadd]

Thanks for the advice guys...

Read over some of the "DO IT YOURSELF" HDD and RAM and I think I will get a system with it already done... I'm sure I can do it but really do not wish to mess it up...

I will have to run VISTA eventually since all our other systems run it, might aswell get familiar with it...

Any preference on which motherboard is best and why, T8100, T7100, T9300 etc??

[Bwadd]

I was tired last night.. so I decided to read over the HD instructions and the RAM and looks simple enough... is there any RAM or HD that you guys would recommend for the T61, I know there are many and all the same pretty much, but maybe there are a few that run better....

Also how is the finger print reader feature, is it necessary, I remember using it on a T42 before and it was not that great had a few glitches when reading your finger.. any better these days?

[Bwadd]

Ok I found 2 systems that I like... what do you guys think... pro's cons etc...??

1) This is off the Lenovo site and it is a friends a family deal I got from a guy I know. They have decent deal going with half price HD upgrade etc...


Intel Core 2 Duo processor T8100 (2.1GHz 800MHz 3MBL2)1
Genuine Windows Vista Business 6412
14.1 WXGA+ TFT
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M 128MB
1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 (1 DIMM)
Integrated fingerprint reader
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable, Ultrabay Slim5
9 cell Li-Ion Battery60
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty7

Price is $1180 before tax

2) Deal I found on ebay, he is a authorized thinpad retailer and will ship toa friend of mine in ATL on business then bring it back to Toronto Canada to save on taxes etc..

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7250 at 2x2.0GHz
15.4” WideScreen TFT WXGA 1280x800 LCD
3GB DDR2 667MHz SDRAM
160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
DVD+-RW Burner Drive
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN (Wireless N)
Bluetooth 2.0
FingerPrint Reader Authentication
6 Cell Battery
Microsoft Windows Vista Business Edition
(Authentic XP Pro recovery CD set is included if you prefer to use XP Pro)

1 Year Warranty from Manufacture

$935 BIN on ebay...

What do you guys think...?

[basketb]

What do you guys think...?

The following might not completely help you, but I hope it is at least of some help to you (even though it may make your decision more difficult).

The two choices you provide seem to represent two mindsets. The first one seems to be: I have certain requirements (CPU, display, RAM, HD, etc), what is the minimum I need to spend. The second one is: I have a budget (say $1000), what is the "best" machine I can get for that money. I find it hard to optimize both at the same time. So you should first decide on which approach to take, and then look for appropriate models.

In my following comments, I assume that all you need the Thinkpad for is "light gaming, alot of surfing and work related stuff, MS Word, Adobe etc" and not much more.

Intel Core 2 Duo processor T8100 (2.1GHz 800MHz 3MBL2)1 vs. Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7250 at 2x2.0GHz

The T8100 CPU is certainly adequate for what you want to do. And so is the CPU from the other model. Everything else being equal I would take the T8100 but I don't know how much more I would pay for it.

Genuine Windows Vista Business 64 vs. Microsoft Windows Vista Business Edition

I don't have any experience with Vista but read that there may be some driver problems with the 64 bit version. You may want to read up on this, if you haven't already done so.

14.1 WXGA+ TFT vs. 15.4” WideScreen TFT WXGA 1280x800 LCD

The 14" screen has a higher resolution than the 15" screen, meaning, 1. it displays more content, and 2. text, etc. will be smaller - usually not a problem if you have normal vision. Initially, you said you prefer the 14" screen. However, since you brought the 15" display into the picture, I'd recommend the WSXGA+ resolution for that screen size. (everything else being equal, the WSXGA+ is approx. $50 more.)

NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M 128MB vs. integrated graphics

If battery run-time is important to you, go with the integrated. The integrated graphics should also be sufficient for everything else you mentioned. (personally I'd go with the NVidia since battery time is not important to me but I'd still recommend the integrated graphics for you )

1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 (1 DIMM) vs. 3GB DDR2 667MHz SDRAM

Obviously, 3GB is better for Vista. But $50 or less buys you the additional 2GB.

160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm vs. 160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive

Definitively go for the faster drive if all other things are equal. (everything else being equal, the 7200rpm drive is $10- $20 more)

??? vs. Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN (Wireless N)

Presumably the first system has the Thinkpad abg wireless card, which is sufficient if you don't have a wireless-n environment and don't plan on having one in the next year or two (but even then you can always buy a PCMCIA adapter, if you don't mind it sticking out of your Thinkpad. (save $30 but not having wireless-n)

Integrated fingerprint reader

I personally find it a gimmick and totally unnecessary. (save $20 by not having it)

Bluetooth 2.0

You probably have a bluetooth-enabled cell phone. So this might be worthwhile for you.

9 cell Li-Ion Battery vs. 6 Cell Battery

See my other post above for when I would go with the 9 cell battery. Getting the 6 cell battery could save you $50. It's possible that the 6 cell battery is not offered for the 14" wide screen model. In that case, I'd go with the 9 cell.

$1180 before tax vs. $935 BIN on ebay + save on taxes

I find either price somewhat high for its machine (but that may be because I'm spoiled from the EPP prices in the US a couple of months ago as well as the Lenovo outlet prices in the US (where you can get real good bargains once in awhile, but you have to be patient).
A word on paying taxes (and somewhat off-topic here): you shouldn't consider paying taxes as being all bad. Aren't they used for the roads you drive on, the health care and other public services you get in Canada, etc.?


Lastly, have you checked out the R series? You might be able to get similarly equipped machines for less.